


It's Over

by CatWingsAthena



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst and Feels, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Episode: s02e15 Revelations, Episode: s05e09 100, Gen, Implied/Referenced Past Child Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Short, Soft Ending, The implication is very vague but it's there, This one's all over the emotional map, spoilers through season 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26501920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatWingsAthena/pseuds/CatWingsAthena
Summary: Five times Derek Morgan said, "it's over," and one time he didn't have to.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Derek Morgan, Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan & The BAU Team, Penelope Garcia & Derek Morgan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	It's Over

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! I got the idea for this story because I noticed that Morgan said "it's over" both to a few subjects (I say subjects instead of unsubs because they're usually not unknown at that point) and to Hotch in 100, thought it was interesting, and wanted to explore that further. So here we are!
> 
> Full disclosure: I haven't watched past season mid-season 8, and this fic deals with events through season 11. I used Google and the word of my sister. Hopefully I'm not too far off; if I am, consider this an AU. Also, mind the tags.
> 
> Happy reading!

1\. College

Derek stood on the green of Northwestern University and looked around, a smile spreading over his face.

He was here. He was really here.

He was never going back to the way things had been.

“It’s over,” Derek said quietly.

He’d lost a lot of battles. But he’d won the war.

He’d gotten out. And now he could do whatever he wanted with his life.

The sun, high in a blue sky, shone down on the green grass. Everywhere, students were sitting, walking, playing Frisbee, generally having a good time.

The past was what it was. But the future was wide open, full of possibility.

Finally, his life was looking up.

2\. Subject

When Morgan tackled the subject to the ground, he didn’t really expect him to stop fighting.

He _was_ expecting not to be _bitten._

The subject sank his teeth into Morgan’s arm, deep enough to draw blood.

Morgan turned his yell into words.

“It’s over!” he shouted. “Give it up, it’s over!”

Slowly _(_ _very_ slowly), the subject’s struggles slowed as he began to tire out.

_New phrase to use when the subject is being stubborn. Always helpful._

Morgan didn’t know quite why it worked. But he wasn’t about to question a good thing.

3\. Revelations

Damn, Reid looked like hell.

It wasn’t remotely surprising. He’d been tortured for two days, after all. But it wasn’t the state of his clothes or his hair, or even the blood, that made Morgan want to resurrect the guy responsible just to kill him again.

It was Reid’s expression.

He looked completely lost, scared and dead-eyed and... guilty?

_He had to choose who died._ No wonder the kid looked so ashamed.

“None of this was your fault, you know that, right?” said Morgan as the medical team wrapped Reid in a shock blanket. “It’s over. You’re gonna be okay.”

Reid just stared.

“It’s over, man. Look at me.”

Slowly, Reid’s eyes lifted, although they still didn’t meet Morgan’s.

“You’re alive, and you told us how to find you. That’s all anyone could ask of you, okay? You did good, and you’re off duty now.”

Reid nodded slowly.

Then, in a small, rough voice, he said, “I want hazard pay.”

Morgan smiled.

It was going to take time. But Reid was gonna be okay.

4\. 100

Morgan sat on the floor of his boss’s old house, holding Hotch as he screamed and sobbed and fought to get to the bloodied body lying on the floor.

“It’s over,” Morgan said in an attempt to get through to him. “It’s over!”

Foyet was dead.

But so was Haley.

Morgan could only pray that Jack was okay.

It shook Morgan more than he cared to admit, seeing his stiff-upper-lip, does-he-ever-blink boss in a state like this. But he knew better than most what extreme stress could do to a person.

Everyone had their breaking point, and apparently Hotch had hit his.

Morgan knew the fallout from this was going to be catastrophic. He didn’t know if Hotch would ever recover.

But he knew he’d be there however he could.

He and Hotch didn’t always see eye to eye. But when it came down to it, they were teammates, and they respected each other.

Hotch would have done the same for him.

5\. Leaving

Morgan stood in the hallway and set down the box he’d been holding.

The team wasn't here. The bullpen was still alive with people, but _his_ people weren’t contributing to the flurry of activity.

He’d just finished packing up his things.

When he walked through the doors to this building this time, he’d never come back.

The weight of it surrounded him like a dense fog, the kind you could barely see the end of your outstretched arm through.

“It’s over,” he whispered under his breath.

The center of his world for almost two decades was falling away.

In some ways, he was ready. He wanted to spend more time with Savannah. And he wouldn’t miss being constantly bombarded with the worst of what humanity had to offer.

But...

Reid. Emily. JJ. Rossi. Hell, even Hotch.

_Garcia._

He knew they’d try to stay in contact. He knew he’d try, too.

He also knew exactly how the BAU swallowed up your life.

Now that he was no longer part of it... he’d be lucky if he saw them a few times a year.

His place on the team would be quietly filled, and they’d go on with their lives. Just like he’d go on with his.

_No._

He wasn’t losing Garcia.

But how...

+1. Garcia

Morgan started as footsteps sounded in the hall.

He recognized the rhythm just before Garcia walked into view.

“Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Thought I might find you here,” said Garcia softly. “You weren’t gonna say goodbye?”

Morgan looked away. “I did. This morning.”

“I meant to me.”

“Hey, hey,” said Morgan. “This isn’t goodbye.”

“It isn’t?” asked Garcia. “It’s not... over? This? Us? Because we won’t see each other as much, and you’re married now, and it’s not like that with us but I don’t know if she’d understand that, and...”

Morgan held out his arms, and Garcia stepped into them. “Hey, now,” he whispered, rubbing her back. “It’s not over. Never.”

“Okay,” said Garcia, and Morgan felt tears start to soak into his shirt.

“Hey, baby girl, don’t cry,” he said. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Garcia.

Morgan took a breath.

_So do I._

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! This is the first thing I've written in five days, which is actually pretty unusual for me, but I live on the West coast of the US, so... yeah. I'm okay, I haven't had to evacuate or anything, but I've been pretty down. Thankfully, though, today my brain decided today was the day to work on this story I've had the idea for forever but never wrote down! Completely ignoring my, like, seven WIP's in another fandom, of course, but oh well.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and if you liked this, I'd love it if you could let me know below!


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